Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family [Paperback]

Jacey Eckhart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

As anyone with a spouse in uniform knows, the military offers families neither geographical stability nor guarantees of life under one roof. Those conditions make it tough to keep a marriage together, raise good kids, and maintain some semblance of normalcy, but help is on the way. Jacey Eckhart’s new guide navigates readers through military life on the homefront. Aiming her advice at the wife—male spouses, she says, need their own book—she covers issues from the first day in the "fortress" to the last day the husband is piped ashore with humor and encouragement. An Air Force brat herself, Eckhart swore she would never enter the military, but married the first Navy man she dated and over the past seventeen years has raised three children, moved thirteen times, and tackled five deployments. She argues that being able to manage military life is not a secret some wives know and others don’t, but rather a set of skills to be acquired.

Eckhart presents the realities and then offers some solutions for the married-but-single parent, starting out on the bottom rung of the career ladder with each move, and worrying if military life is hurting the kids. She helps newlyweds and long-marrieds alike better understand the people who are drawn to military service and find ways to fit into the military community without losing a sense of self. Her guide offers helpful ideas about managing the demands of a teenager during a move, finding playmates for toddlers in new neighborhoods, and even telling mothers-in-law why they shouldnÂ’t be at the homecoming. She also lists methods of finding full and part-time work. From pre-deployment work-ups through Christmas blues and post-deployment problems, Eckhart and her guide are at the homefront ready to help.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jacey Eckhart writes a twice-weekly newspaper column called "The Homefront" for the Virginian Pilot in Norfolk. She regularly speaks to groups about the problems of deployment and military marriage and has been a guest on the "Today Show."

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591142288
• ISBN-13: 978-1591142287
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different AND BETTER military wife book, May 21, 2005

By 

M. Krajeski "army wife" (Wakefield, RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family (Paperback)

I just got this book. During two little league baseball games yesterday afternoon, I started it. Congratulations to Jacey Eckhart on some fine work. I think this is the best book I've read in the military wife genre.

My husband is in the army and I have read many of these type books over his twenty years in service. I never thought they quite captured the complexities of this life. Homefront Club is the first.

Don't be misled by the word "guide" in the title. It is not another manual on how to decipher acronyms or read your husband's earnings statement. This book is a funny and honest analysis of the military life. You'll be glad you read it! Marna Krajeski, author of Household Baggage: The Moving Life of a Soldier's Wife

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars shortcuts to many "ah ha" moments in a military spouse's life, July 22, 2005

By 

J. ROOKER (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family (Paperback)

My husband is in the USMC and we have been married for 11 years with two children. Military life is something difficult to really explain to a new spouse or even your own family after many years. Ms Eckart gives the reader much more than the usual how to, but what to expect as spouse. Her insight is more from a friend's point of view....the great friend you'd meet who would tell if you had something in your teeth at a party. She is funny, honest, and gathered wisdom that is without a doubt years of "ah ha" moments for spouses.

I most enjoyed Ms Echart's personal experiences with her family and Navy life. There was several times I had to read sections to my husband because I had literally laughed out loud.

The USMC has a program for spouses, families and girlfriends/boyfriends called LINKS. The other services have the same program, different name. LINKS gives the basic scoop on military life. I highly reccomend Homefront Club for the program as well as for anyone you know or love in our military family!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Military Wive's Content I've read yet!, September 2, 2005

By 

Peggy J. Bayless "pegbay" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family (Paperback)

While some of Jacey's views may seem a bit old fashioned or naive, and despite the fact that she comes from the world of the 'officer's wife,' which is slightly different from my world, the world of the 'enlisted wife,' I found this book to be more realistic than anything comparable I have yet read.

Reading through this book actually felt like chatting with an old friend, a fellow military wife, a mentor. Some of the author's points were so poignant that they literally brought tears to my eyes!

Jacey hits on all aspects of military family life: marriage, moving, deployments, community, parenting, careers, and eventual retirement. There is no arrogance, bitterness, or cynicism here, just plain honesty and a realistic yet positive mental attitude, which we all need to cultivate in this difficult lifestyle!

I passed this book on to another military wife the very day I finished reading it, because I think it is well worth reading for both the new military wife (in any service) and the seasoned military wife of many years. A highly recommended read!